More than 3,200 Amazon.com Inc. employees in a warehouse in Alabama voted whether they want to unite, and the initial results should be announced in the coming days.
The union Retail, Wholesale and Department Store said Wednesday that 3,215, of 55%, of the approximately 5,800 employees in the Bessemer, Ala., Warehouse are voting.
The public share of the number of votes is expected to be announced Thursday or Friday, the union said.
Voting ended March 29, and the count began last week. The union said hundreds of ballot papers were being challenged by management, which could delay election results in the event of a tough race. Challenges will be resolved by the National Labor Relations Council.
Even if the union wins, it could take years of negotiation to reach an initial contract, and the process could be further delayed if Amazon disputes the election results.
Workers are asking for higher salaries and better working conditions.
The vote has big interests – the organizers hope that a victory will cause more union worldwide, and not just at Amazon. Meanwhile, Amazon, the country’s second-largest private employer, is worried that higher union wages could hurt its core. Amazon made $ 21.3 billion in profit in 2020.
Amazon shares AMZN,
is so far about a fixed year, but over the past year by 61%.